13500/A Simple Plan

A Simple Plan
Date of Scene:	04 December 2022
Location:	Stark Tower: Penthouse
Synopsis:	Tony and Pepper prepare the apartment for the holidays.
Cast of Characters:	Tony Stark, Pepper Potts

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Tony Stark has posed:
Earlier that day, Tony did some 'suspicious' things. Things that entirely suggested that the man had a 'plan' in mind, and was going to directly enact it. He serenely started by making sure that Pepper was going to order dinner for them, so that they could eat in. He required ALL work be set aside. These pieces alone made it clear that he wanted to be certain of her availability - that she wouldn't get pulled away, and his access wouldn't be interrupted!

This often can mean something dangerous - such as a new machine or 'experience' for her to test out or witness, though. Or it can be some other grand surprise that gives her no time to actually do her makeup or hair in time before she's on a helicopter off to some exotic place Tony got into his head!

Today, it's still unclear what it is - other than that the AI, HOMER, agrees that Tony is in fact in the apartment, when her choice of food ends up delivered. That suggests she won't be strapping on rocket boots or fishing wires out of his chest today.

Probably.

Pepper Potts has posed:
It's always a concern when Tony begins acting 'suspicious'. There are little 'tells', that is, when he becomes more 'present', that is, less wrapped up in his own thoughts and projects. He gets that somewhat lighter quality to his speech patterns; the patter is still rapid fire, and he still pauses after a thought as if not only to take a breath but to see how his words are being received by her. It's different, but not by kind; more by degree.

At first mention, the response is simply a raise of her brows, a lean into a crooked arm, bent elbow and a ghosted smile. At the later reminders, light laughs with a sound of surrender hanging beneath them are made, agreeable certainly.

At the current time? Pepper is heading back to the Penthouse, suit jacket off, heels in hand as the door opens before her. Her hair is down, released from the pony-tail of the day, and she is about as ready for the evening as she can be. As she hopes to be, anyway. In truth, is anyone TRULY ready for what Tony may have planned?

Tony Stark has posed:
"WHHHHHHRRRRR!" announces one of the robots, suddenly RIGHT in Pepper's face as she enters the apartment. It waggles it's 'hands' in a sort of alarm, making some loud beeps. All of the 'body language' reads that it was assigned to distract or delay Pepper at the door, and it is... really not very good at it.

"She's here?" Tony asks dryly, amused by what the robot chose to do.

The scent of the room will hit first, though, even if Pepper's vision is distracted by the distract-o-bot: the scent of pine is strong.

"It's okay, leave her alone," Tony adds, amused. "I'm always ready, anyway."

The robot moves aside, making it a lot easier to see down into the main area of the penthouse. There is a grand, beautifully set up douglas fir tree! It isn't HUGE, but it is pretty dominant. Tony himself is sitting on the floor on a white tarp, //surrounded// by about a thousand little odd light objects that are twinkling and moving in sequences across all of them. There are two robots there, which are clearly responsible with keeping the lights in some kind of order or rearrangement based on what Tony is dictating. To the left, are a few boxes that Pepper will more easily recognize as being ornaments. Naturally, Tony's all over making the lights do crazy things, and ignoring the ornament part. But maybe that's where Pepper comes in: she can bring the sentimental touch.

"I thought you might like to do this together, so I set aside time," Tony chatters, without looking up, but his tone floats that he very intentionally set this up for her.

Pepper Potts has posed:
The robot to the face certainly does have her taking a step backwards, her hand rising to heart in alarm. "What.." begins to come from her, and it changes quickly to annoyance at the little bot who was only doing what it was asked to do. Of course, from the sound of it, //how// to act as a distraction wasn't quite explained. She takes a deep breath and exhales in a huffed breath, "Don't.. don't do that." Please.

The pine scent is a lovely, woodsy smell, hearkening back to the woods of home. It does manage to stop her in her tracks, after the couple of steps taken into the apartment, once the robot was called off. Green eyes widen, and another breath is taken, this time deliberately drawing the outdoors scent in. She exhales in a soft 'oh', finishing it with a smile. "Tony, did you..?"

Obviously, he did.

She walks further into the apartment and dips briefly to set her shoes down and to the side, setting her jacket on the back of the couch before she approaches. "This.. how long were you planning this?" Her eyes seem to glitter in the lights, and the smile is filled with that unfettered affection for the man. "I think I'd love to do this together," she agrees, nodding as she pads over. Leaning over, she moves to press a light kiss to his lips. "No, I know I would. I think we might have a few things stored, too?" Maybe?

Tony Stark has posed:
"I pulled everything that was stored out. It might be under those other boxes; assess," Tony says, smiling into the kiss, and guiding her to not step on any of the delicate lights by accident. One of the bots was starting to fret, and Tony waves it off. Pepper's fine.

"A few of them are out of my family things, some is from the past few years that were added from various sources... it's sort of all over the place," he warns her, though!

"I'm enjoying the lights puzzle for now. I think some people like jigsaws for the holiday: this is mine," Tony chuckles. "I remember one year, I had really specific naughty patterns in the tree. I was a teenager, I think. Not that I've entirely outgrown that. I've made sure not to entirely lose my youthful charms." He isn't doing such patterns here, of course! "Probably a cry for attention, but let's not look too deeply into it." Tony smirks.

"A-7, put the first two chains I've arranged up. Clockwise," he tells it. The bot starts to gather and zoom up to place the items desired, from the very top.

Pepper Potts has posed:
"Okay," Pepper acknowledges. "I'll check." Her hand reaches out to caress his cheek at the end of the quick but genuine kiss, and straightening up again, surveys the organized mess that lies around them. "No macaroni garland for you, hmmm?" It's one of the first times they've actually made the time to decorate rather than calling in an interior decorator to decorate for them, and she's loving every minute. Brows do rise at the confession, and she laughs again and shakes her head. "I wo't." She's learned over the years...

"And having experienced your ten-year old charms, I can say with the utmost of honesty that you haven't lost any of your youthful charm."

Pepper moves away before she crouches down and begins to open one box that has been stacked on top of the others. Stars, snowflakes, little snowmen.. all very 5th Ave., bits and baubles from the years past's trees. "I wonder if I can convince mom to send a box of decorations."

Tony Stark has posed:
Most of the boxed items, while expensive, is rather lacking in any type of charm or personality. It's more like the bulk, same sort of themes one would expect if they were decorating a business or department store tree. The universal quality, to all of it. Because for many years, it has been really generic, not personal.

"That green box on the end is where all the gift random bits are," Tony voices. He doesn't suggest it is, or isn't, a better box. But if Pepper looks, that's the weird pieces: the handmade single simple oraments, ones with pictures -- including an embarrassing one of a baby Anthony Stark with HUGE dark eyes... and the like. Something made of lace, probably from Maria Stark... it does exist.

"You want more than these boxes? I'm not sure this tree is big enough for all that," Tony laughs. His view of ornaments may differ, though: history with Tony suggests he is, indeed, more focused on lights and flashy things. But that doesn't mean he's unaware of the other pieces... it just may go into a 'feels' place that's harder...

Pepper Potts has posed:
It's been many, many years of the unpersonal, business-like collecting of decorations; and those kept are the ones that Pepper liked. Bells, stars and yes, the snowmen, are set to the side as Tony makes mention of where the other decorations are placed. She glances over and her gaze lingers on the man before she moves again, gently pushing some of the lights out of hr way as she does so, undoubtedly causing a little consternation with the 'bots.

Pepper sits down, her legs tucking up and under her as she pulls at that other box. She pauses, glances back again at Tony, and back at the box, her fingers working to open it all gently. "I like a lot of ornaments, a lot of garland, and even more tinsel and icicles." Her attention returns fully to the box, and begins to pull the decorations out. Wiith each drawn from its storage, she holds it between fingers and looks at it as its held in front of her face. There's a softening of her features, if it was at all possible, and at the one with Tony's bayby picture, she looks to compare the two-- the child and the man. Little red hearts with lace, white-puff-ball snowmen with a lingering googly-eye, a Santa with red and white fur that makes up his suit.. so very nostalgic. Soft breathy 'awwws' exit the woman, and her voice is quiet as she assures,

"It'll be big enough."

Tony Stark has posed:
"Random box, also known as embarrassment box," Tony laughs, though there isn't any real embarrassment to his voice or face. Shameless, about all kinds of things. And he'll lean into this as much as anything else. "Though in fairness, if we're going into MY extreme youth, yes, your mother had better send something suitably comparable." Tony lets go of the lights for a time to come over and look at the compared picture ornament. He grins a little, then mimics the same face as the baby was making. Slightly deer-in-headlights expression.

"At my sexiest, even then," Tony declares, and then leans in to try to get a kiss while still wearing most of that weird expression. It is, of course, as charming as Tony is aware it is. He's impossible.

Pepper Potts has posed:
Pepper's laugh is a touch louder, a little more merry and she shakes her head. "I like it," she returns. "And mine, I'mm sure, is filled with pictures of me in braces, me with a broken arm, and popsicle sticks made to fashion into skis." There, she's given him fair warning as to what to expect.

Another laugh sounds as the expression is copied, and green eyes are rolled in amusement, "A face only a mother could love?" She shakes her head, following it up with, "I bet you were asking other babies for their phone numbers, even then." Or, rather, they were offering them!

His progress is watched, measured, her head canted up so the kiss is easily gained. She laughs again and gently swats at him, "Okay, baby-face. And mom would be more than happy to regale you with stories, assuming she can get you away from dad for a moment or three." There's always talk of stocks and bonds with 'the men', car issues, and all the things that seem to get trotted out in the holidays when family gatherings are at their most attended. Women, even in this day and age, are relegated (and happily so) to the kitchen where all the real news and information can be gleaned. Not to mention first picks at the food cooked!

Tony Stark has posed:
"Help her do so. I don't need to talk business ALL the time. Or, well, even half the time. You know how much business I do," Tony 'complains'. It's certainly not as big of a percentage as it could be, and he's teasing her, with this. He's been in engineer mode in particular, lately, which just compounds that in the recent month...

But he hasn't been absent, either. So he doesn't really deserve a DEEP reprimand!

"So I was thinking..." Tony changes the subject, "Lighter at the top, and then spiral into red and white, where the red also fades into either green or gold," Tony describes, gesturing, so that maybe she can picture it. He's making an effort to, indeed, do this together!

Pepper Potts has posed:
Apparently her family has forgotten that Pepper does dabble in stocks and bonds and has something of a head for business? All that falls away, however, in the holiday house.

"It's the way dad bonds." She sets one of the ornaments aside, and her hand falls to her lap, but she's still looking at him, gazing into those dark eyes, "And my uncles already like you. I think you had them at the helicopter." That shift of smile to grin begins before she shifts her position slightly.

"I'll offer up a distraction with dad. You need to take the opening and find mom." Then, undoubtedly, the roles will reverse; Pep will hang out with the men, minus the cigar-smoking and brandy-drinking, and Tony can be part of the clutch in the kitchen. Her mother and aunts and cousins will LOVE that!

The shifting of gears brings her attention back to the project at hand, that is, the lights for the tree. It'll absolutely be a labor of love tonight; soon enough, the lights will be strung, a glass of wine poured, and the garland, tinsel and decorations will find their way to the branches. But for now?

"I think I like the whites at the top, with the darker colors coming down in something of a cascade. The blues and greens with a touch of gold interspersed." Tall order, perhaps, but they do have the technology and the ability!

Christmas in the Penthouse begins tonight.